YOU CAN SAVE OUR FORESTS FROM DYING!

Story

Why are our forests dying?

A major threat to forests in India is degradation. Among other reasons, the spread of dangerous weeds is causing severe degradation of many wildlife sanctuaries including premier tiger reserves. A healthy forest eco-system has good bio-diversity with a large variety of plant species which in turn sustain a wide variety of animal species. When a forest is attacked by invasive species of plants which we call "weeds", its bio-diversity gets eroded and the forest starts dying a slow death. One such dangerous weed is Lantana, brought into India by the British 200 years back as an ornamental plant. This video tells the story of Junglescapes' effort to save some of our best forests in the Western Ghats from Lantana. Along with saving the forests, this effort provides alternate livelihoods to members of tribal communities who live at the edge of the forests, enabling them to lead a life of self-reliance.

A Lantana affected patch of forest

Same plot post restoration - now has good bio-diversity!Habitat restoration work of Junglescapes

Junglescapes has been working for the past 8 years on restoration of degraded forests. Until now over 2000 acres of degraded forests in the Western Ghats - a global bio-diversity hotspot and home to some of the best wildlife reserves in India - have been restored back to healthy wildlife habitats. All projects are carried out with the active participation of local forest-dwelling communities, creating valuable conservation-based alternate livelihoods for them. Over 40 families are involved in the projects, mostly from indigenous communities.

Restoration of Lantana affected areas is a key element of our restoration strategy. Lantana is removed using the Cut-Rootstock method that has been pioneered successfully in Corbett National Park. After removal of Lantana, bio-diversity is restored by propagating native vegetation of grasses, shrubs and trees. The restoration cycle normally spreads over a 3-4 year period. Since 2015 we have been working with the forest department in Bandipur in restoring a 200 hectare (500 acre) area.

A Lantana affected patch of forest

Restored area with good natural vegetation!How much does the restoration cost?

The restoration of one acre of Lantana affected forest habitat costs around Rs 20000, of which over 90% goes to the community members for their participation in the restoration effort. The cost per acre consists of the following elements:

Local community members for whom this is an alternate livelihoodHow you can help?

Would you like to participate in this effort to restore bio-diversity to our forests and stop them from dying? You could sponsor restoration of one acre or a larger or smaller area as you may choose. Every rupee that you give not only helps save a part of the forest, but also brings cheer to a local village family.

We need your support in this initiative! There is a small patch of forest out there waiting for your help!